Oh my. Was that fresh garlic? And yeast dough? Oh yes. With tomatoes? And basil? Sigh.
Holley was practically drooling. Her stomach rumbled once more. She felt her cheeks blush and hid her face when Kingston’s lips quirked. She peeked though. Couldn’t help but watch as his emotions flitted from shock, to amusement, and finally, indulgence.
“I suppose I can take you to lunch, since I did rush you out the door without breakfast,” he put the vehicle into park once more.
“That would be lovely,” she answered.
“Yes,” his gaze watched her hungrily, and for a moment Holley thought perhaps pizza wasn’t the only thing that appealed to the big man.
The possibility made her shiver in awareness and anticipation. But first things first.
“Hi! Sit anywhere you like,” a woman dressed in jeans and a t-shirt bearing the Pizza Palace logo waved them to the dining area.
“Is this a date, then?” Holley asked when he guided her to the booth and helped her slide in.
“A date?” he cocked his head and his dusky blonde hair brushed his shoulder, “I suppose it is.”
Oh my.
Ten
Bloody fucking hell. He should have just kicked his ass earlier like his Dragon wanted to. It would have been less painful than what he was experiencing at the moment.
Reaching beneath the table, he adjusted his jeans, but it was no use. He was cramped and stifled in the tiny booth, and his dick was harder than steel, and the woman across from him was the cause. Of course, it wasn’t the booth’s fault. Not exactly. It was the woman sitting across from him. She was the cause of his current state.
His Dragon growled. He was conflicted. There were too many people there. Too many witnesses to her sweet moans as she sampled bite after bite from the three large pizzas he’d ordered, along with a huge antipasto salad, and a basket of garlic knots.
The feast was spread out between them across the table and Holley seemed to be having the time of her life.
“All this is just for us?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, let’s eat.”
She seemed particularly fond of the veggie lovers’ pie, where he was strictly a pepperoni and hot cherry pepper kind of guy. She’d oohed and aahed her way through almost every dish. Her reactions dazzled him. He’d never seen someone enjoy food so much. And he was a Shifter, for fuck’s sake.
Of course, he wasn’t even going to mention the pineapple topped monstrosity in front of them. That was the one item that still remained untouched.
“Don’t say ‘I told you so’, honestly, I meant to try it.”
“Yeah, I know, but, I told you so,” he winked and took another well-done slice of pepperoni for himself.
Judging from her reaction to the spur of the moment gesture, he was positive he’d shocked the little Witch. About time. The way he figured, she’d been driving him out of his mind with every excited giggle, soft sigh, and delightful moan that escaped her delectable lips throughout the meal.
“What?” she asked, “Is my face dirty?”
“No. Your face is perfect,” he confessed.
It was only the truth. Funny how easy it was to compliment her once he started.
“I had a good time today, taking you shopping, eating pizza with you here.”
“Ah, yes, and teaching me to drink through a straw,” she blushed and shook her head, but it was the truth.
He’d enjoyed showing her the options and watching as she chose the metal kind rather than the disposable. He wasn’t in to killing turtles either, thank you very much.
The simplest things proved to be more adventurous than he’d ever thought through her eyes at her side. Fuck, everything she did turned him on. Her reactions to the modern world were so open and honest.
Refreshing, that was the right word. There was none of that second-guessing or mockery he found in so many others. None of the guilt either. That was all he’d felt at the end with Neela. Terrible, overwhelming guilt.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Holley whispered.
He nodded his head, a reflex really, but the she-Dragon had been his responsibility for so long. It felt disloyal to think about her like that.
No, his Dragon rose up and pushed the thought into his head. Holley was his one true and fated mate. His whole purpose was now dedicated to her and her alone.
“Have you tried these?” he leaned forward and held a garlic knot dipped in marinara sauce to her lips.
Holley moaned as she took a bite of the soft, savory dough. She sighed as she slowly chewed the delicious morsel and Kingston was a goner. She leaned forward, took another bite, and his chest vibrated with the force of his growl as he watched.
Great. He was jealous of bread. But what could he say? He wanted to be the one to make her moan like that. He wanted to be everything to her.
Silly? Maybe. Conceited? A little. But fuck it. He had never felt this way about anyone. It was primal and all-consuming, but in the best possible way. She was everything wonderful in the world. Watching her enjoy herself with the food he provided pleased his beast. At the same time, it was also the most torturously erotic thing he’d ever witnessed.
What about Neela? What about the past? What about her, he argued with himself. She was gone. He’d done his best to do his duty by his brother and by her. The only way to honor them now would be to live.
Yes, he wished he could change the past for both his brother and Neela. To be torn apart from your mate was unthinkable. Edgar thought he was saving her, but perhaps it would have been better to let her go into the void with him. But at the time, it was an impossible choice.
Kingston knew with unwavering certainty that if anything happened to Holley, he would much rather join her than try to live without his mate. That was not something he’d wish on anyone. He would have traded places with Neela if he could. But the fact was, he could not.
Kingston was alive, here and now, and so was Holley. The sweet Witch’s blueberry scent filled his senses. Tempting him like nothing else. He found the fragrance lingered whenever she left a room in the most enticing way.
His gaze roamed her face, that healthy glow in her tawny skin, those pale moss-green eyes, and her inky dark hair were all doing things to him he could hardly describe.
Of course they were, the Dragon chuffed. He was born to love her. Fated mates could choose to ignore the pull, but they rarely did. And why should he?
Claim. Mate. Mine.
“Kingston? Are you okay?”
“What? Oh yeah, I am fine.”
“You are growling. Loudly,” she looked around at the tables and he noticed some people were starting to stare as well, “I think they heard you,” she whispered.
“Shit. You finished?” he asked, dropping bills on the table when she nodded.
He stood up and held out a hand to help her. Electric shocks danced from his fingertips down his spine and straight to his cock, which had been hard as stone since he’d laid eyes on the beautiful Witch. But he ignored it for now and gently nudged her in front of him so he could follow her out the door.
Her hips swayed beneath the silky skirts she wore and a smile played at the corner of his mouth as he took in the green sneakers. She was cute as hell, sexy too.
He wanted her. Wanted to lay claim to her sweet flesh, to stamp himself all over her body, and to rip the eyes out of every man who dared stare.